The Third Apprentice
by Foreteller Ava
Summary: Xehanort brings his apprentice to the Land of Departure. It's about the last person Eraqus expected. [One-Shot] [AU]


"Xehanort, where did you find that boy?" Eraqus couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice as he saw his old friend come in with the dead eyed boy behind him. It had been a shock on two levels: He had never expected to see Xehanort again after their last fight, but more importantly, Eraqus knew that boy and seeing him look so zombie like when he was so full of light and energy…something was wrong.

"His name is Ventus." Xehanort indicated the boy, telling Eraqus information he'd already known. "He was my apprentice, but things went wrong in his training." If he hadn't been looking for any indication Xehanort was lying, he would've missed the way Xehanort's jaw clenched. Whatever happened to Ventus, this had not been the result the old Keyblade Master had been hoping for, which was enough in Eraqus's mind to confirm that this was not Xehanort's fault.

"Come with me. There's much we have to discuss." Eraqus proceeded to lead Xehanort to a more private room for the meeting, one where his other two apprentices wouldn't interfere. "You mentioned something went wrong in his training, what was it?" The old man couldn't imagine Ventus falling so easily.

"His heart was damaged while we were traveling the worlds. A more powerful Heartless than the two of us could take. We were lucky to escape with our lives." A powerful Heartless that neither Ventus nor Xehanort could take? That was more surprising than seeing Ventus here as Xehanort's apprentice. "Unfortunately, it means that he will need a place to stay safe while recovering, seeing as how a Heartless attack could very well mean his end with the state he is in." Eraqus nodded. He would never turn away a Keyblade Wielder who needed sanctuary, not in this place that so desired peace. That was meant to stay a sacred ground immune from the battles between Light and Darkness.

"Will you be staying while Ven…tus recovers?" He had almost forgotten to mention the boy's full name

Xehanort shook his head. "Being trapped on the Land of Departure is no place for me. You should know that by now, my old friend." Eraqus nodded, feeling a rush of disappointment, some more selfish than others. "I'll only be here until I am sure the boy will be safe and start to recover. Afterwards, I will have to resume my research."

The mention of Xehanort's research set Eraqus into a state of alarm, but he didn't have time to question it as a pained shout came from outside the room. Thoughts of worry vanished as he rushed outside the room, seeing Ventus nearly collapse on the floor. Terra and Aqua were standing above him.

"What did you do?" Eraqus watched as Xehanort ran to the boy's aid, almost in shock that his two apprentices would hurt Ventus. He had trained them better than that, although judging by their reactions it appeared that they hadn't been expecting these results either.

"Nothing, I just…I just asked him some stuff." Terra was the one who spoke up, looking almost guiltily at Eraqus. So there was no harmful intent.

Eraqus let out a soft sigh. "Ventus cannot tell you anything…because he cannot remember anything." He indicated the boy on the floor. "Xehanort, please take Ventus to one of the rooms on the higher floors. I'll explain to my apprentices."

"Of course." Eraqus watched as Xehanort left the room, leaving Terra and Aqua behind. The two still looked almost ashamed of what had happened.

"Master, is Ventus going to be okay?" Aqua asked. "What happened to him?"

"Ventus's heart got damaged while he was training with Master Xehanort, and as a result he remembers very little of his life before now if anything at all," Eraqus explained to his two apprentices. "He'll be staying with us while he recovers, perhaps longer if Xehanort things he might be better off remaining with us."

Terra and Aqua nodded, and Eraqus almost sighed in relief. Hopefully they would be able to help Ventus recover.

* * *

Later that night, Eraqus arrived in Ventus's room. Deep down, he knew what drove him there, but yet he found himself still questioning why he would go. Xehanort had said his heart was damaged, it was unlikely Ventus would remember anything, and yet…

"Ventus. May I come in?" He'd cracked open the door slightly, but there wasn't a response besides a very weak noise that sounded like a yes. It wasn't surprising. He had been overloaded from responding to Terra only a few hours ago.

"Thank you." Eraqus sat down on the chair in the corner, pulling it besides Ven's bed. "I understand this all may be stressful for you right now, but I want you to understand we're all hoping that you'll make a full recovery without us causing any stress, however…"

"Last we met we were in the Unchained state. Ven…how did you manage to get here?" Eraqus couldn't help but long for his former life after seeing the boy. Ephemer…Skuld…Lauriam…the three of them and Ventus had all decided he would be the one to scout for an ideal time for the Dandelions to leave the Unchained state, when the world had enough light to support them. Granted it had taken much longer than Eraqus had intended to ensure the worlds were safe, but that was no excuse for the four of them to send him out that much earlier. "From how I understood it, the paths between our two realms were closed. It's why communicating with you all was so difficult."

"I…" Immediately Eraqus could tell he was overwhelming the young blond, and so he put a hand up.

"I'm sorry, that was presumptuous of me. I know your memories aren't there, and it was improper of me to even ask." Eraqus bowed his head low. He wanted to know how they all were, but he also knew that pressuring Ventus for memories he didn't have wasn't going to help either of them. "Forgive me."

Ventus nodded, saying nothing.

"My apprentices, Terra and Aqua, will be around to check on you in the morning." Eraqus stood up, heading out of the room. "Good night, Ventus."

Right as he closed the door, Eraqus caught the sound of a whisper coming from it, one Ventus probably wasn't even fully aware of happening. "Good night, Brain."

Eraqus couldn't help but almost smile.

* * *

 **Hi so I saw there's a theory out there where Eraqus is Brain and while there isn't a chance in hell I think it is canon I very much love the idea behind the theory and all the angst potential out there.**

 **Anyways I don't really know where I was going with this in terms of author's notes or anything. Blame my sick brain.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **~Foreteller Ava/Nicole Peach**


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